Bible Commentaries

Paul retires to Macedonia, Acts 20:1. He goes into Greece, where he tarries three months and, purposing to sail to Syria, he returns through Macedonia, Acts 20:2, Acts 20:3. Several persons accompany him into Asia, and then go before and tarry for him at Troas, Acts 20:4, Acts 20:5. Paul and Luke sail from Philippi, and in five days reach Troas, where they meet their brethren from Asia, and abide there seven days, Acts 20:6. On the first day of the week, the disciples coming together to break bread, Paul preaching to them, and continuing his speech till midnight, a young man of the name of Eutychus, being in a deep sleep, fell from the third loft and was killed, Acts 20:7-9. Paul restores him to life, resumes his discourse, and continuing it till daybreak, then departs, Acts 20:10-12. Luke and his companions come to Assos, whither Paul comes by land, Acts 20:13. He embarks with them at Assos, comes to Mitylene, Acts 20:14. Sails thence, and passes by Chios, arrives at Samos, tarries at Trogyllium, and comes to Miletus, Acts 20:15. Purposing to get as soon as possible to Jerusalem, he sends from Miletus, and calls the elders of the Church of Ephesus, to whom he preaches a most directing sermon, gives them the most solemn exhortations, kneels down and prays with them, takes a very affecting leave of them, and sets sail for Caesarea, in order to go to Jerusalem, vv. 16-38.

After the uproar was ceased - The tumult excited by Demetrius apparently induced Paul to leave Ephesus sooner than he had intended. He had written to the Corinthians that he should leave that place after pentecost, 1 Corinthians 16:8; but it is very probable that he left it sooner.

He came into Greece - Εις την Ἑλλαδα, Into Hellas, Greece properly so called, the regions between Thessaly and Propontis, and the country of Achaia. He did not, however, go there immediately: he passed through Macedonia, Acts 20:1, in which he informs us, 2 Corinthians 7:5-7, that he suffered much, both from believers and infidels; but was greatly comforted by the arrival of Titus, who gave him a very flattering account of the prosperous state of the Church at Corinth. A short time after this, being still in Macedonia, he sent Titus back to Corinth, 2 Corinthians 8:16, 2 Corinthians 8:17, and sent by him the second epistle which he wrote to that Church, as Theodoret and others suppose. Some time after, he visited Corinth himself, according to his promise, 1 Corinthians 16:5. This was his third voyage to that city, 2 Corinthians 12:14; 2 Corinthians 13:1. What he did there at this time cannot be distinctly known; but, according to St. Augustin, he ordered every thing relative to the holy eucharist, and the proper manner in which it was to be received. See Calmet.

Abode three months - Partly, as we may suppose, at Corinth, at Athens, and in Achaia; from which place he is supposed to have sent his epistle to the Romans, because he continued longer here than at any other place, and mentions several of the Corinthians in his salutations to the believers of Rome.

When the Jesus laid wait for him - Paul had determined to go by sea to Syria, and from thence to Jerusalem. This was the first object of his journey; and this was the readiest road he could take; but, hearing that the Jews had laid wait for him, probably to attack his ship on the voyage, seize his person, sell him for a slave, and take the money which he was carrying to the poor saints at Jerusalem, he resolved to go as much of the journey as he conveniently could, by land. Therefore, he returned through Macedonia, and from thence to Troas, where he embarked to sail for Syria, on his way to Jerusalem. The whole of his journey is detailed in this and the following chapter. See also the map.

And there accompanied him - Rather, says Bishop Pearce, there followed him as far as to Asia; for they were not in his company till he set sail from Philippi, and came to them at Troas, in Asia, whither they had gone before, and where they tarried for him, Acts 20:5.

Into Asia - Αχρι της Ασιας; These words are wanting in two MSS., Erpen, the Ethiopic, Coptic, and Vulgate. Some think that they embarrass this place; for how these could accompany him into Asia, and go before him, and tarry for him at Troas, Acts 20:6, is not so very clear; unless we suppose, what I have glanced at in the table of contents, that they came with him to Asia, but, he tarrying a short time, they proceeded on their journey, and stopped for him at Troas, where he shortly after rejoined them. Mr. Wakefield gets rid of the difficulty by reading the verse thus: Now Sopater of Berea accompanied him; but Aristarchus and Secundus of Thessalonica, Gaius of Derbe, Timothy of Lystra, and Tychicus and Trophimus of Asia, went before, and tarried for us at Troas.

Sopater of Berea - Sopater seems to be the same as Sosipater, whom St. Paul mentions as his kinsman, Romans 16:21. ADE, more than twenty others, with the Coptic, Armenian, later Syriac in the margin, Vulgate, Itala, Theophylact, Origen, and Bede, add Πυρῥου, Sopater the Son of Pyrrhus. Griesbach has received this into his text.

Aristarchus of Thessalonica - This person occurs in Acts 19:29, and is mentioned there as a Macedonian. He attended Paul in his journey to Rome, Acts 27:2, and was his fellow laborer, Plm 1:24, and his fellow prisoner, Colossians 4:10, Colossians 4:11. Secundus is mentioned nowhere but in this place.

Gaius of Derbe - This is supposed to be the same who is mentioned Acts 19:26, and who is there called a man of Macedonia, of which some suppose he was a native, but descended from a family that came from Derbe; but as Gaius, or Caius, was a very common name, these might have been two distinct persons. One of this name was baptized by St. Paul at Corinth, 1 Corinthians 1:14, and entertained him as his host while he abode there, Romans 16:23, and was probably the same to whom St. John directs his third epistle.

And Timotheus - Of Lystra, is added by the Syriac. This was the same person of whom mention is made, Acts 16:1, and to whom St. Paul wrote the two epistles which are still extant; and who was a native of Lystra, as we learn from the above place. It was on this evidence, probably that the ancient Syriac translator added, of Lystra, to the text. This reading is not supported by any MSS.

Tychicus - of Asia - This person was high in the confidence of St. Paul. He styles him a beloved brother, and faithful minister in the Lord, whom he sent to the Ephesians, that he might know their affairs, and comfort their hearts, Ephesians 6:21, Ephesians 6:22. He sent him for the same purpose, and with the same commendations, to the Colossians, Colossians 4:7, Colossians 4:8. Paul seems also to have designed him to superintend the Church at Crete in the absence of Titus; see Titus 3:12. He seems to have been the most intimate and confidential friend that Paul had.

Trophimus - Was an Ephesian; and both he and Tychicus are called Εφεσιοι, Ephesians, instead of Ασιανοι, Asiatics, in the Codex Bezae, both Greek and Latin, and in the Sahidic. He accompanied Paul from Ephesus into Greece, as we see here; and from thence to Jerusalem, Acts 21:29. He had, no doubt, traveled with him on other journeys, for we find, by 2 Timothy 4:20, that he was obliged to leave him sick at Miletus, being then, as it is likely, on his return to his own kindred at Ephesus.

Tarried for us at Troas - See the preceding verse. Troas was a small town in Phrygia Minor, in the province called the Troad: see Acts 16:8.

Days of unleavened bread - The seven days of the passover, in which they ate unleavened bread. See the account of this festival in the notes on Exodus 12:1-51 (note). It is evident, from the manner in which St. Luke writes here, that he had not been with St. Paul since the time he accompanied him to Philippi, Acts 16:10-12; but he now embarks at Philippi with the apostle, and accompanies him to Troas, and continues with him through the rest of his journey.

To Troas in five days - So long they were making this voyage from Philippi, being obliged to keep always by the coast, and in sight of the land; for the magnetic needle was not yet known. See the situation of these places upon the map.

Upon the first day of the week - What was called κυριακη, the Lord's day, the Christian Sabbath, in which they commemorated the resurrection of our Lord; and which, among all Christians, afterwards took the place of the Jewish Sabbath.

To break bread - To break eucaristia, the eucharist, as the Syriac has it; intimating, by this, that they were accustomed to receive the holy sacrament on each Lord's day. It is likely that, besides this, they received a common meal together. Some think the αγαπη, or love feast, is intended.

Continued his speech until midnight - At what time he began to preach we cannot tell, but we hear when he concluded. He preached during the whole night, for he did not leave off till the break of the next day, Acts 20:11, though about midnight his discourse was interrupted by the fall of Eutychus. As this was about the time of pentecost, and we may suppose about the beginning of May, as Troas was in about 40 degrees of north latitude, the sun set there at seven p.m. and rose at five a.m., so that the night was about eight hours long; and taking all the interruptions together, and they could not have amounted to more than two hours, and taking no account of the preceding day's work, Paul must have preached a sermon not less than six hours long. But it is likely that a good part of this time was employed in hearing and answering questions; for διελεγετο, and διαλεγομενου, may be thus understood.